Recipe: how to make the spaghetti top chef Sergio Herman makes at home

In his new cookbook Colorful Cooking, Sergio Herman shares his love of cooking, family and travel. With recipes full of explosive flavors and colors, he inspires you to step into the kitchen with simple ingredients and a touch of daring. No rules, just pure cooking pleasure!

Sergio: “Every Friday I make this pasta when my children are at home. Together, it is always a lively affair, and this favorite pasta dish fits in perfectly.”

Spaghetti

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Make sure there is enough water to completely submerge the pasta, and add a pinch of salt and the olive oil to the boiling water. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
• Taste the pasta to check whether it is cooked. The spaghetti should be soft but still slightly firm. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent the pasta from cooking further.

TIP! Set aside a coffee cup of the pasta cooking water to make the tomato butter a little creamier later, if necessary, when finishing it.

Tomato butter

• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion, garlic and thyme leaves until the onion is translucent. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce until only a quarter remains.
• Stir in the tomatoes and bring gently to the boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
• Blend everything with a stick blender or blend until very smooth. Once thoroughly blended, blend in the butter as well to create a thickened tomato butter.

Plating the dish

• Heat the tomato butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and stir well. Let the tomato butter simmer gently, add the cooked pasta and mix well so that the pasta is coated and heated on all sides. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and let it dissolve completely into the sauce so that it thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the pasta into 4 portions in the pan and insert a (meat) fork vertically into the center of 1 portion of pasta. Make sure the tines of the fork grip the pasta well. Turn clockwise so that the pasta winds around the fork until you have a neat, compact nest. You can also use a spoon for support, rolling the pasta into the spoon as you turn. This is useful when transferring it to the plates.
• Carefully lift the fork and place the pasta nest on a plate, optionally supported by the spoon. You can also tilt the fork slightly while placing the pasta on the plate so that it comes off the fork easily. Repeat with the remaining pasta.
• Pour any remaining tomato butter from the pan over the pasta. Finish each plate with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and mini basil leaves. As a final touch, distribute 1 tablespoon of basil oil over each plate.

How to make basil oil

Makes approx. 250 ml

• 100 grams basil, wild garlic, parsley or lemon verbena
• 50 grams spinach 
• 300 ml soy or grapeseed oil

You will also need

• thermo blender (optional)
• kitchen thermometer

Place the herb of your choice and the spinach together with the oil in a thermo blender (if you do not have one, see the next paragraph) and blend all the leaves finely at high speed. Heat the herb, spinach and oil to 60 °C. Run the blender at full power for 4 minutes. Strain the oil over a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a kitchen towel and leave it to drain. The solids left in the towel can be discarded.

If you do not have a thermo blender, place all the ingredients in a tall saucepan. Blend everything with a stick blender and infuse for 6 minutes at 60 °C. Remove the pan from the heat and blend for about 4 minutes more with a stick blender or in a blender. Strain the oil over a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a kitchen towel and leave it to drain. The solids left in the towel can be discarded.

TIP! You can store the herb oil in a sterilized bottle or preserving jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. You can also store the herb oil in the freezer, for example in an ice cube tray, so it is immediately divided into convenient portions.